Molecular Basis of Loss Aversion

Overview

The goal of this clinical trial is to test the roles of dopamine and norepinephrine in decision making related to loss aversion in the healthy population. The main question it aims to answer is whether temporarily boosting dopamine activity or temporarily suppressing norepinephrine activity has an impact on processing of potential gains and losses in financial decision making, social decision making, transaction decision making and moral decision making. Accordingly, participants will complete four decision-making tasks, namely investment task, driving task, trading task, and die task, after taking madopar, propranolol or placebo. Participants' psychological traits and psychiatric symptoms will be assessed once they are enrolled before the first-session day.

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Age 25-40 years old (including boundary value).
2. Elementary school education or above, able to understand the research content.
3. Body temperature, blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, and electrocardiogram are all normal. Among them, the blood pressure range is 100-139/70-89 mmHg, and the heart rate range is 60-85 beats/min.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Vulnerable groups, including people with mental illness, cognitive impairment, critically ill subjects, minors, pregnant women, illiterates, etc.
2. Family history of genetic diseases.
3. Major physical diseases, including cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive, renal, endocrine, blood and other systemic diseases.
4. History of alcohol/drug dependence.
5. Lactating women.
6. The cardiopulmonary function test results are poor.
7. Have ever taken madopar or propranolol for medical use.